There are many available types of variable speed gear transmissions on the market today. Many of these systems operate on the principle of moving a wheel along the face of a rotating disc from the periphery towards the center of the disc to cause a continuous variation in speed. Similar systems may move a wheel along the surface of a cone back and forth between smaller and larger diameter portions of the cone.
While systems of the foregoing type will enable a smooth and continuous variation in speed ratios between an input and output shaft, the actual transmission is effected through friction coupling as opposed to a positive gear type coupling. Thus, the loads that can be transmitted are necessarily limited.
On Jan. 27, 1959 a U.S. Pat. No. 2,870,644 entitled IMPROVED MULTIPLE SPEED GEAR TRANSMISSION issued to the inventor of this present application which, in essence, constitutes an improvement over the earlier United States Patent.
Essentially, the foregoing United States Patent disclosed and claimed a positive gear arrangement wherein a variable speed ratio between an input and an output shaft could be realized over large numbers of values without utilizing the frictional concepts but rather employing a positive gear coupling. In that prior patent, the preferred embodiment contemplated the use of a pair of opposed discs with a pinion gear coupled between the discs.